Magnet
by Shink and Lirley
Summary: Two years after the end of the DNAngel anime, Dark and Krad suddenly return, and so Satoshi and Daisuke decide to figure out a way to get the angels their own bodies. Dark/Satoshi, Krad/Daisuke
1. Chapter 1

Daisuke had never known how excruciating two years could be. Two years, 24 months, 104 weeks, 730 days-the more he thought about it, the longer it seemed. His violet-haired alter ego had been around for less than a year, but somehow spending two without him had almost been more than Daisuke could handle.

Which was why, when December 22 returned yet again to stir up those memories that broke Daisuke's heart, he was sure the voice he heard was some sort of depression-induced hallucination. Yes, this was some kind of schizophrenia; Daisuke Niwa was hearing things and that couldn't possibly be Dark because Dark was gone, sealed away in the Black Wings along with Hiwatari's angelic blond doppelganger.

The voice-Dark's voice-insisted otherwise, though, of course. Daisuke had been having conversations with it (it, not him, because it wasn't Dark, it was just a voice) since the moment it had greeted him in the morning like nothing had ever happened. He supposed it must have just been his delusional way of reminiscing, but whatever it was, it was excessively distracting. It kept talking to him during class, attempting to catch up, threatening to take over if Daisuke didn't answer the goddamn question this time.

By the end of the day he was beginning to lose his conviction that this was only a voice. It was getting on his nerves, being taunted by a figment of his imagination, especially one resembling that thief whom he missed so dearly. So what if it wasn't his imagination? What if it really was Dark? The thought made his heart pound-but not just because he'd have his own second self back. He needed to find Hiwatari.

He had no idea where to look though; the only class they had together was first period art, and there had been no first period that day. All he could do was go through the halls and ask everyone he saw whether they knew where to find Hiwatari, and endure the strange looks and the questions of "What happened to him today, anyway?"

At last it was, in the end, Riku who knew where Satoshi's last class was; Daisuke didn't ask how she knew that but instead bolted for that room hoping he hadn't gone home yet. Thankfully their school was small and there weren't too many classrooms, and Satoshi was indeed still there by the time Daisuke made it to the English room.

"H-Hiwatari!" he called out from the doorway, not shouting although his tone of voice was urgent. "Do you have a minute? I, um... I have something to ask you about."

He had tried to keep that from sounding awkward, but in the end all the girls in the room were giggling and that voice in his head was telling him that that was the wrong side, and Daisuke had to ignore what that meant while he waited for Satoshi to answer.

"It's Hikari now," Satoshi grumbled as he looked over at the redhead. "And yes, Niwa... I can always make time for you." The chorus of giggling girls continued. The majority of the females in their class thought Satoshi and Daisuke would make the cutest couple in the world. Too bad for them Satoshi didn't like Daisuke in that way... however he never claimed to not have an attraction to... certain aspects of him.

He sulked over to the doorway. "What is it?" he asked in a rather sullen tone. He was having an awful day and his temper was short.

Turning a blind eye to the circle of girls that had begun to form around them, Daisuke sighed and said, "I can't really bring it up right here," only to be answered with a round of muted squeals. "Let's... take a walk, okay?"

"All right. Let's go somewhere more... private." He couldnt help putting on a show, even if his mood had been sour all day. Maybe Daisuke was having the same issue he was and if that was true, maybe his day wouldn't be all that bad.

Daisuke groaned at the reaction that comment earned from their audience, but at least Satoshi was acting like he always did. From the questions everyone was asking, he'd been afraid something was seriously wrong with Satoshi.

As he left the classroom and subsequently the school building, Daisuke didn't say a word. He was trying to figure out a way to bring this up gently. Hey, I think my supernatural alter ego came back this morning, are you hearing voices again too? They were both used to the concept by now but it was still sort of unnerving.

"S-So," Daisuke murmured once they'd gotten to a fairly empty section of the sidewalk, "I, uh... how should I put this... Has anything different happened today?"

Satoshi blinked a few times before answering. "Well... I wasn't quite feeling like myself this morning if that's what you mean. And due to my change in attitude my father and I had an altercation. I am no longer allowed on his property... So I am basically homeless." He was nowhere on the verge of tears, and was actually quite glad to be rid of his adoptive father. He was however rather miffed that he didn't have anywhere to stay.

"W-Wait, what? He actually kicked you out?" The words seemed to trip over themselves, stumbling from Daisuke's lips. "That's so horrible." For a moment he paused, contemplating the situation, trying to process the information. If his hunch was right, that 'altercation' had been over a particularly striking change in personality, meaning that the voice really was -

/**Yes,**/ his train of thought was interrupted, /**for the thousandth time, it's really me.**/

Daisuke sighed. Returning his attention to Satoshi, he began, "Hiwata-er, Hikari... I'm sure my family wouldn't mind if you came to stay with us. I-I mean, since you don't have anywhere else, right? And we're friends, so..."

Satoshi's eyes lit up. "You would really let me stay with you?" Since they weren't really rivals anymore there should be no problem with them living together.

"Of course!" Daisuke replied as his countenance lit up as well; he was greatly relieved that Satoshi had accepted the offer so easily.

There was a pause, and after a minute or two Satoshi asked, "And... I suppose you wouldn't mind if I... brought my stuff over?"

"I wouldn't mind at all!" Daisuke replied cheerfully. "I'll help you move out if you want. I assume... he'll let you back in to get your stuff?"

"Well yes. I believe he threw it all in a shed in the back. I also left a few things back in the class room. You don't mind going back right?"

"Of course not."

When they got back to the classroom, a few girls were still suspiciously lingering, curious as to what had gone on with the two. After grabbing his things Satoshi smoothly added in a voice loud enough to be heard by the eavesdroppers, "Thank you _so much_, Niwa. I can't wait to move in."

Immediately the remnants of their onlookers burst into fits of giggles and chatter and squealing, and Daisuke wished he didn't blush so easily. Did Satoshi always have to make it seem like they were a couple?

By the time they got out to his car it was about 4:15, and Daisuke pulled his cell phone out of his pocket to call home. He had to at least let them know Satoshi was coming home with him... they could talk about the moving in part later, in person, when Satoshi wouldn't have to just stand there and listen.

"I, uh... don't really know the way to your house," Daisuke told Satoshi with a laugh as they situated themselves in the car. "Where do I go?"

"**Wherever your heart may take you**."

/KRADWHATTHEHELL./

Daisuke's heart forgot a beat when he heard that voice - wasn't that Krad's...?

"J-Just kidding, Niwa... It's down that way."

Trying not to look over to see whether Satoshi's eyes had turned yellow just then, he laughed and went along with the directions he was given. For a while he didn't say a single word, even as he helped carry out some of Satoshi's things from that dusty shed. He maintained his silence until they arrived at his house, and he had to tell Satoshi that he'd be right back, he just needed to talk to his parents about this moving in business.

The only one who was even vaguely upset was his mother, who still bore an inherent reluctance to accept Satoshi, given his connection to Krad (which Daisuke didn't mention, although unfortunately this also meant that he couldn't mention Dark either). The discussion only took a few minutes and in the end Kousuke even came outside to help with the rest of Satoshi's belongings. Promises were made to obtain a lower bunk for Daisuke's bed, along with other things which they decided to deal with after Satoshi was settled.

And once everything was in the room, Daisuke had absolutely no idea what to do next.

"Thank you again..." Satoshi attempted to break the awkward silence. He was grateful, but what he was really interested in was the other side of Daisuke Niwa.

Unfortunately _his_ other half had a peaking interest in the redhead. This situation was so much more awkward that Daisuke could possibly understand. Satoshi had to struggle to stay in control while thinking of a way to ask about Dark in a way that wasn't horribly... well, _awkward_. Yes, he was grateful for having a place to sleep, but he wasn't sure it was the best idea to have all four of them in the same room.

Daisuke gave a sort of nervous laugh, realizing that this really was sort of awkward... Maybe he'd done something wrong? "Y-You're welcome," he replied, but then immediately continued with, "If there's anything you'd like, please tell me. I don't want to cause you any extra stress. We can turn my dad's old office into a room for you if you want..." He knew he was rambling, but this was making him nervous. He didn't know how to deal with this situation just yet.

"Oh, no no no, I wouldn't want to intrude any more than I already am! I can't take away your dad's office." He laughed nervously. "I just... this may be a bit odd... um. Do you mind if I talk to Dark? It's just, I haven't talked to him in a while and..." He trailed off. He was fairly certain Daisuke had no idea about him and Dark.

/**If I took over now, this conversation would be a lot easier.**/

/ You are _not_ taking over right now. No way in hell are you raping him. Especially not on the first night./

/**It's not rape if he wants it...**/

"What? Dark? But why?" Daisuke couldn't imagine any reason Satoshi would want to talk to Dark - hadn't they always been stuck in that game of cat and mouse? It wasn't like they had any reason to chase after one another anymore.

/**Don't ask questions,**/ Dark's voice seemed a little strange, /**you wouldn't get it anyway.**/

/What are you talking about? Don't tell me I've missed some important detail again./

/**Oh, you have. You always do.**/

/Come on! Tell me what's going on!/

/**Don't worry about it. Just let me talk to him.**/

Daisuke sighed. "I guess it can't hurt..." And for the first time in two years, Dark saw the light of day (and, more importantly, Satoshi) once again.

Satoshi couldn't say anything at first, he could only stare at the face he had been wishing would appear before him once again. Krad was probably saying something condescending or sarcastic, but he didn't particularly care, nor could he hear anything in the first place apart from his own heartbeat. He wasn't able to contain his emotions any longer; before he could even comprehend what he was doing Satoshi felt his body flying towards the phantom thief's and found himself sobbing into his chest, unable to form any understandible words. He had realized earlier that day that he would see Dark again, but his emotions refused to acknowledge the idea until it was a reality.

The shock on Satoshi's face brought a smirk to Dark's lips, but when the boy threw himself at him, he failed to bite back a chuckle. This was adorable. He would never have expected someone like Satoshi to cry, ever, especially not in front of other people. It made it so easy to forget how controlling and dominant he could be sometimes.

Closing his eyes, Dark folded his arms around Satoshi and lifted one hand to the back of his head, stroking his hair lightly. Softly and only a little arrogantly, he murmured, "Miss me?"

"I didn't even get to say goodbye, of course I fucking missed you!"

Again Dark chuckled, this time at the way Satoshi phrased his response. He was even precious when he swore.

Satoshi clung desperately to his lover, abandoning his usual sense of pride and desire to be in control. This would pass eventually, but for now he was content being held in the arms of a phantom theif. "Dark..." He squeezed him a little harder still sniffling into his chest. "You missed me too right?"

As he tightened his hold, Dark decided that he rather liked this side of Satoshi, most of all because he was the only one who had ever seen it. The question prompted him to place a kiss atop the crown of Satoshi's head, then lean down and whisper, his lips a hair's breadth from Satoshi's ear, "More than I could bear."

Satoshi lightly pushed dark just far enough away so he could look into his eyes. "Prove it." His voice sounded as if it were smirking although his expression was serious. He then put his hand on the side of Dark's face and drew him into a long awaited kiss.

Dark, on the other hand, actually was smirking; even when their lips came together his were still curled up at the corners. He really had missed Satoshi, though - his face, his voice, his kisses, everything. Even the way they tended to maintain the delusion that they were both somehow in control of this relationship.

After a moment he pulled away just enough to be able to speak, but he was still so close that his lips brushed against Satoshi's as he spoke. "I never meant to disappear without saying goodbye." He closed the distance between them again before moving away to say, "I hated leaving you behind," and then moving one hand to brush away the tears that had streaked Satoshi's face as he resumed the kiss once again.

Satoshi let it linger a bit longer before it was his turn to pull away. He didn't specifically acknowledge the things that Dark had said, but his flushed cheeks were proof that he greatly appreciated what Dark had said. "You should probably let Daisuke come back... He'll start to wonder what took so long if you don't..." He didn't want to have to say goodbye again so soon, but it wasn't like his thief was really going anywhere, and it wasn't fair to Daisuke to kick him out of his own body.

Dark had to admit, he was rather disappointed in this suggestion, but he also had to admit that it made sense. In all his elation he'd sort of forgotten that this relationship was still a secret.

"I guess you're right," he said nonchalantly, a smile still lingering in his voice. Grinning down at Satoshi, he pressed a kiss to his forehead and told him in a way that was only half teasing, "I won't be able to stay away from you for long, though. Don't expect me to keep you waiting." With that he relinquished his control of the body to Daisuke, who returned with a much less deviant smile on his face. "I didn't know you two were close enough to have anything to talk about," he said, tilting his head slightly to the side as his smile grew ever brighter. "That's good."


	2. Chapter 2

"Yeah... We actually became _great_ friends." Satoshi wondered how clueless Daisuke could be. It wasn't as though he and Dark were parading their relationship all over the place, but... Niwa and Dark shared the same body, the same _mind_. How could he not know?

"I... I think I'm going to go help with dinner. Why don't you let Dark tell you all about it while I'm gone?" All but rushing out of the room, Satoshi had to stifle his laughter at the thought of how Dark was going to handle this.

"Wait, you don't have to do-" Daisuke said a little helplessly, but Satoshi bolted from the room before he could complete the sentence, and with a sigh he finished it anyway, "... that..."

/**Damn it, Satoshi...**/ Dark sounded quite irritated.

Daisuke laughed, letting himself fall onto his little sofa. /What's wrong?/

/**I don't particularly feel like relating this story.**/

/I guess it doesn't really matter. I just think it's nice that you're friends./

/**Yeah. Something like that...**/

/Oh, come on, now I'm curious. I didn't even know it was possible for you to keep secrets from me./

/**Anyone can keep a secret from you, Daisuke.**/

/S-Shut up./

Daisuke scowled at the ceiling while Dark chuckled. /**It's true. I think you even keep secrets from yourself. You're so naive.**/

/Are you going to explain this or not?/

/**You know... I really don't want to. I don't think I will.**/

/Ugh. I'm so sick of being the only one who doesn't know what's going on./

/**Just a second ago you didn't care whether I told you or not.**/

/Well now you're making it sound like I'm some kind of idiot. Of course I want to know now./

/**You're not an idiot, Daisuke. Just oblivious. I promise there's a difference.**/

Daisuke didn't respond.

/**Aww, don't be like that. I guess I **_**could **_**tell you, if you really want, but if you receive permanent mental trauma from this knowledge, it'll be your fault for being so persistent...**/

/Just tell me already!/

/**Okay. Fine. Satoshi and I are lovers.**/

/... What?/

/**You heard me. Lovers. And you **_**never noticed**_**.**/

/... _What_?/

Dark snorted. /**You can't even comprehend it after hearing it stated perfectly clearly. Maybe 'naive' is an understatement.**/

/Y-You said it so bluntly, it's hard to process that much all at once!/ Daisuke's face had turned very red. /Why didn't you ever tell me?/

/**Why do you think? If it's so hard to process now, how do you think you would have handled it back then?**/

/... I guess you're right... Oh god, and now you're living in the same room - /

/_**Exactly**_**. That's a predicament, isn't it? Oh well, too late to think of that now~**/

Daisuke covered his brilliantly red face with his hands and sighed yet again. This could possibly be the most embarrassing situation he'd gotten himself into yet.

A few minutes later Satoshi knocked on the door frame of Daisuke's room, calling from the hallway, "Your mom told me to come get you. Dinner's ready." He looked down at the redhead's even redder face with a raised brow. "You feeling okay, Niwa?"

Daisuke jumped a mile when he heard Satoshi's voice at the door, and would have fallen off the sofa if not for the armrest, with which he caught himself just in time to keep his face from making friends with the floor. Laughing nervously he waved to Satoshi and said, "Oh, I-I'm fine, really, I'm just, um, well... D-Dark told me something strange just now and actually I'd kind of like to ask you whether it's true because I think he was lying and are you two really - really -"

"...Lovers?" Satoshi began to laugh, giving the impression that this concept was absolutely hysterical - but unfortunately for Daisuke, he soon continued, "Oh, so he did tell you, then. I really can't believe you didn't know. I mean, I know he never said anything, but I thought you might at least have suspected something." He covered his mouth, trying to hold back a chuckle. "I'm sorry for laughing Niwa. I promise your naivety is adorable."

/**More than that...**/ Krad's voice was muted, predatory./**It's fascinating. I wonder if he can be tainted.**/

/Well I'm sure you'll have the chance to find out soon enough. Just. Not. Now./

"I don't mind you laughing," Daisuke muttered in a kind of defeated way, pressing his fingertips to his forehead. "I'm such an idiot, how did I not notice? Ugh, this makes me wonder what else I'm missing..."

/**Quite a lot, I think.**/

/Give it a rest, Dark. I get it./

/**Don't take it so seriously. We were keeping it a secret on purpose. I mean, there were a few things you should have noticed by now, but - **/

/I said I get it!/

This little outburst silenced Dark for the time being, and Daisuke sulked toward the doorway and out of the room, heading downstairs in hope that he might be distracted from his stupidity at dinner.

Satoshi had fit in quite easily with the dinner conversation and even Emiko finally seemed to warm up to him at least a little bit. The meal had lasted much longer than usual due to the new presence in the home, but soon after they had both finished eating, Satoshi and Daisuke managed to escape the after-dinner conversations with the prospect of going upstairs to study as their excuse.

Of course, when they got there, Satoshi had something entirely different on his mind. "While I am rather happy that Dark... and Krad... have returned," he began as he shut Daisuke's bedroom door behind him, "I wonder why they came back?"

Daisuke was honestly not interested in studying right now, and so he was glad for the diversion. "Oh, I... I hadn't even thought of that," Daisuke admitted with a little smile and a shrug. "Maybe... someone broke the seal on the Black Wings? Or maybe something went wrong when it was sealed." He paused, pondering, then glanced toward the easel which had held a painting of Risa for so long, but now displayed one he'd made of Dark shortly after his disappearance. "What do you think?"

"... Come to think of it, Niwa... I believe you're right. I think it wasn't sealed properly. The final component of the ceremony wasn't complete."

"Oh," Daisuke said simply, feeling a little unintelligent but not minding it so much, as it was unavoidable around Satoshi.

"I'm not exactly sure why they were only sealed for two years, though..." Satoshi sat and pondered for a bit, but soon gave up and offered Daisuke a smile. "Well, whatever it was, I guess it's a good thing."

At this point neither of them had any further input and a brief silence fell, until Satoshi suggested, "Maybe... we should just go to bed. This day has been crazy enough..."

Daisuke smiled. "Yeah, I think we should probably get some rest... We have school in the morning anyway." To be honest he was feeling a little disappointed - this was such an exciting turn of events, he wanted to talk about it more. He supposed he could just talk to Dark if Satoshi didn't want to talk anymore.

"I'll be right back, then, I have to go get a futon for you," Daisuke said as he got up and made for the door, offering one more smile before rushing out to the hall closet and pulling out one of three futons his family kept for the guests they never had. The thing was heavy; he had to drag it back to his room, but eventually he did make it, and then disappeared and reappeared once more with some sheets and blankets. Throughout all of this he didn't speak, going about setting up the temporary bed for Satoshi as though he had some urgent need to hurry.

"Thanks," Satoshi said simply, smiling at the speed with which his bed had been assembled. As soon as it was finished he removed his shirt and reached into one of his bags, pulling out something small and black, folded into a tattered little square. Swiftly he tucked it under his pillow and whispered, "Goodnight Love. Goodnight Daisuke."

All of this brought a smile to Daisuke's face, mostly because he knew exactly what that rustling of cloth had been, and suddenly he realized why Satoshi had asked to keep that coat two years ago. He'd always wondered why he would want a ripped up useless trenchcoat like that.

The moment Satoshi fell asleep, he lost every ounce of control over his body; halfway through the night, Krad took advantage of this. Creeping across the room and up Daisuke's bunk ladder, Krad situated himself quite comfortably between the wall and the sleeping redhead. He was intrigued by this pure, naive creature and spent the rest of the night studying his features.

Daisuke, having always been a heavy sleeper, did not notice the shifting of the bed or the presence of the intruder beside him. Throughout the night he maintained a flawlessly undisturbed, practically comatose state of sleep.

When at last morning broke, though, Krad took it upon himself to change this. The higher the sun rose, the more appealing it seemed to him to serve as Daisuke's personal alarm clock. Around 9:31 or so he leaned forward to tilt Daisuke's face in his direction, and without a moment's hesitation he placed a kiss on the boy's pale lips.

It took him a moment to wake up, but when at last Daisuke did come to understand that this face not two inches away from his own was none other than Krad's, and that yes, that had indeed been a kiss, the boy's blood rushed to paint his face the color of his hair and his eyes flew open as wide as could be, and he spluttered a string of incoherent syllables before his hands flew to cover his mouth and he asked in a very alarmed manner, the words muffled by his hands, "W-What was... why did you do that?"

Krad laughed a rather cold laugh at Daisuke's reaction. "You really are quite a fascinating creature, Daisuke Niwa."

Almost immediately after that Dark took control of Daisuke's body and in one fluid motion kicked Krad down from the bunk and to the floor. "The hell do you think you're doing?"

But Krad, not in the mood to be introduced to the floor, quickly returned control of the body to poor unknowing Satoshi.

Daisuke's wake up call was a kiss from a so-called angel; Satoshi's was a collision with the carpet. "Ooowww," he moaned, looking blindly upward, trying to figure out what happened. His glasses were by the futon and he wasn't wearing contacts, so all he could see was a vaguely purple blur at the top of what he assumed was Daisuke's bed. "W-What the fuck?"

"Ah! Satoshi!" Dark cried, seeing that he had evidently missed his intended target. Practically leaping down from the bed, he kneeled beside his blue-eyed beloved and placed his hands on his shoulders, looking quite concerned. "Are you all right? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that - well, I did, but not to you - you aren't hurt are you?"

/Dark,/ Daisuke's voice whined in the back of his head, /what just happened?/

/**You know better than I do.**/

/But... He just... Krad just.../

/**Shut up for a second, will you?**/

"I'm... fine? I just can't see and my face is a bit sore. Come to think of it, so is the rest of me. I'm not bleeding, am I?" Dark's face was close enough now that Satoshi could make out his features. He looked so concerned... Satoshi realized he must have been kicked pretty hard.

Reaching for Satoshi's glasses and handing them to him, Dark answered, "No, you're not bleeding. At least I don't think you are. I hope you're not. You better not be." As he went on he leaned to the side and checked as much as he could without really moving, which wasn't much, but he was pretty sure Satoshi wasn't seriously hurt. Satisfied, he moved forward and planted a gentle kiss on Satoshi's cheekbone, where it looked like he might have hit it against something (oh, the floor, maybe?).

"What happened anyway?"

Dark smiled a little nervously, suddenly pulling back and rubbing his head almost sheepishly. "Ahaha, well, what happened. I'm sure you're aware of Krad's, er... _interest _in Daisuke. I don't know how mutual that interest is but you also know how shy Daisuke is, and some people don't take waking up to kisses so well..."

Satoshi looked at Dark with a horrified expression. "Krad _kissed_ him? Well no wonder you kicked him... me... whatever." Satoshi was furious. He had specifically instruced Krad to behave on their first night.

/**I did,**/ Krad answered the unspoken accusation./**It's morning now.**/

/...You despicable bastard./

/**Why, thank you, master Satoshi.**/

"Do you think Daisuke is going to be okay?" Satoshi was worried the poor boy would be so mortified that he would no longer be welcome in the Niwa household.

Dark's expression was wrought with apologies but he said nothing. At the moment he was just trying to figure out what he should do about this - get angry? Be the protective older brother? Or should he act like he knew it was coming all along (because he did), and just go about his usual teasing?

Evidently, despite that he didn't have much time to choose one or the other, he was going to go with the latter, as Satoshi's question brought a devilish smirk to Dark's face and he said, "Oh, he'll be perfectly fine."

/Dark! What are you saying?/

/**Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about.**/

Daisuke was silent for a moment. /But why did you...?/

/**Because it's the truth, isn't it? You'll be fine. I think you'll be better than fine. I felt how fast your heart was beating when we switched.**/

/S-Shut up! That was just - I've only ever kissed miss Riku, and - /

/**And you liked it **_**so much better **_**when it was Krad -** /

/No! That's not it! It's not.../

Dark's grin broadened and he said again, "_Perfectly _fine. Don't you worry."

Satoshi fought off a smile. "Well, of course he would be. He had someone to keep him warm all night. I got my body stolen, and then _he_ got me kicked off the top bunk of a bed. If only there were some way to make my morning better... I guess it can't be helped."

/**Subtle. Really...**/

/You have no room to talk about subtlety./

/**Of course I do. I got into the bed without him noticing, didn't I?/**

/... stoptalking. Now./

/**Oh, have I upset you master Satoshi?**/

/Yes. You got what you wanted. Now leave me alone./

/**Gladly.**/

Dark smirked, taking hold of Satoshi's hand and lifting it to his lips. "If only," he echoed, just before tugging on that hand hard enough to pull Satoshi forward into his arms. Holding him there, he murmured, "But it's not like there's anyone here who would want to do that. You'll just have to settle for a lousy morning." With that he brought their lips together, not roughly but not exactly gently either, trailing a hand down Satoshi's back while the other maintained its place on his shoulder.

Unfortunately he didn't have time to react before a certain familiar female voice announced a presence that really should not have been established at that particular moment. "Daisuke!" Emiko shouted from just outside the doorway, "I think there's something we need to discu - oh - oh my..."

Seeing the poor woman's horrified expression, Dark calmly released Satoshi and turned to smile at her, waving. "Hey mom."

/Oh god. This is just perfect.../

/**Hey, it's me, not you. Don't act like this is embarrassing for you too.**/

/It is! She'll be so mad that I didn't tell her - /

"You!" she suddenly bellowed, pointing at Satoshi with an accusing look on her face. "That means _he's _back, doesn't it?"

"Hey now, calm down," Dark said softly, standing up to approach Emiko. "There's no reason to be so hostile..."

"But Dark! How can I calm down when there's a Hikari staying in my son's room? To say nothing of what I just _happened _to see..."

Dark snorted. If only she knew the other half of that story. "Look, Satoshi might be a Hikari, but it's not like he's out to get us or anything. He and Daisuke are friends. Right, Satoshi?"

"Yeah," Satoshi answered, "Daisuke and I are really close friends. I would never do anything to hurt him." Satoshi was ignoring the fact that Ms. Niwa had walked in on him being shirtless and liplocked wit her older son whom she hadn't seen in two years. "And yes, Krad is back too."

Krad snickered. /**Everyone sounds so happy about my return.**/

/Thrilled./

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner."

Emiko couldn't even think of anything to say. There had to be some reason Daisuke hadn't told her. Of course when she thought about it, that might have just been so that she wouldn't refuse to let Satoshi stay in their house, but would that have been so unreasonable? Just the fact that he was a Hikari should have made the thought of staying in the Niwa household a nightmare to him as well.

However, she was not very good at staying angry, especially not with people who had been through as much as Satoshi had. Emiko's scowl had been reduced to a pitying stare and she folded her arms and sighed. "It's... okay. Just please, promise me you won't keep things from me anymore. Either of you. I know you can hear me too, Daisuke. And, Satoshi... try to keep your other side under control."

"He's not very good at that," Dark muttered under his breath with a smirk, rolling his eyes. Louder, he reassured Emiko, "Don't worry about it, mom, everything will be fine."

Satoshi Smiled at Emiko, trying to reassure her that he would not willingly do anything to hurt either of her children. After she left, he turned to Dark, grinning. "Everyone seems to be finding out about our dirty little secret..." The words were spoken in his usual calm voice, but in all honesty he was a tiny bit worried that Emiko would hate him even more now.

/Krad,/ his thoughts snarled, /you have to behave or we wont have anywhere to live./

/**I **_**always**_** behave.**/

Satoshi sighed outwardly frowning at the voice inside his head.

/**Don't frown so much, master Satoshi. Your face will wrinkle.**/

"Isn't that a song?" Dark asked nonchalantly, not really worried anymore. He knew Emiko well enough to be able to tell when she was really unhappy. What she'd seen hadn't made her day by any stretch, but it hadn't increased her hatred for Satoshi. If anything it had heightened her trust in him - after all, if her beloved son trusted him enough to do things like that with him, then maybe he really wasn't all that bad.

Seeing the look on Satoshi's face, Dark raised one eyebrow and asked, "What's wrong? Krad giving you trouble?"

/**Speaking of Krad,**/ he thought pointedly, demanding Daisuke's attention. /**What will Riku think when she finds out~?**/

/Finds out about what?/

/**Well, that her boyfriend is gay, for starters, but I was really talking about that kiss you enjoyed so much...**/

/Would you drop that already? I'm not telling Riku and neither are you. It didn't matter./

/**Neither does she.**/ Silence. /**Am I wrong?**/

/... I don't know./

"Yeah," Satoshi replied after a few more sharp words to the voice in his head. "He's just being difficult about behaving. Is Daisuke still denying his... er... fruitiness?" He was wondering how his friend's relationship with Riku was going. He could see them being the best of friends, but he was convinced that the only reason they were still dating was that Daisuke reminded Riku of a girl, and she reminded him of a boy.

Dark couldn't help but laugh. "He's definitely still denying it."

Satoshi sighed. "I'm afraid if Daisuke doesn't come out willingly, Krad is going to drag him out."

"I'm pretty sure he'd rather go on lying to himself for the rest of his life than allow someone to drag him out of the closet."

Protests from Daisuke put a smirk on Dark's lips, and he went on. "I'm not sure I like the idea of Krad being that someone, but I think it needs to happen. He isn't happy this wa -"

At that moment he cut himself off when an unnervingly familiar feeling pulsed through the air, like a wave of static electricity. Instantly his expression turned to a mixture of alarm and resolve, and he glanced toward Wiz, then back at Satoshi. "The seal on a work of art has been broken. I have to move quickly or it will awaken, I'll be back soon - or, wait. Want to come with me, Satoshi?" The smirk had returned to his face once more, and as Wiz attached himself to Dark's back in the form of a pair of black wings, the phantom thief truly looked himself again.

Satoshi smirked back. "Sure. Sounds like fun."

This would be different. Instead of playing with each other, Satoshi was going to be helping Dark. It wasn't what he was used to but he had to admit it was probably going to be awesome. Satoshi closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain that was about to slice through his back - there was no way in hell Dark was going to carry him. Satoshi had already been acting uncharacteristically submissive towards his thief due to his return. He was not about to let him think it was a permanent shift in attitude. He clenched his jaw and fists as he summoned his wings, and after they had appeared he took a few moments to recover before looking up at Dark. "Let's go."


End file.
